Exclusive: High School Football Player Hospitalized After Frightening Collision On Field

BURBANK (CBSLA.com) — A high school football player on Wednesday was rushed to a hospital and given devastating news after a scrimmage game on the field without pads.

Max Haddad, 17, took a hit to the head from another player at John Burroughs High School.

“And you start bawling in a second. You just don’t want to see your child get hurt in any way,” said his father, Mitch.

Max blacked out and woke up to find blood gushing from his left eye.

He was rushed to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

A scan revealed Max had bleeding on his brain.

“As soon as he made contact, my head was ringing,” the teen said. “It was ringing for, like, 10 seconds.”

None of the players were wearing pads or traditional helmets because it was supposed to be a no-contact scrimmage.

This was Max’s first year playing the sport after three years of baseball.

His dad told CBS2/KCAL9’s Kristine Lazar that he had reservations.

“You can’t shut a kid down; he’s living his dream, he wants to play football. I don’t want to tell him that he can’t play and him regret that through his life, that I wish I had played,” Mitch Haddad said.

An MRI Thursday morning showed the bleeding had stopped.

He was told he could go home and recover.

Doctors have told Max he shouldn’t continue playing football but the athlete has other plans.

“Anything you’d do different now, if you go back out on the field?” Lazar asked Max.

He shook his head and replied, “No, just keep going 100 percent every time.”